Wednesday, January 21, 2009

In front of almost two million jubilant Americans president Barack Obama has been inaugurated into the highest office in the United States of America. It was a great moment not only for the American people, their country and its history, but for the rest of the world as well.

The Cheering crowd welcomed the 44th US president to lead them through many problems, or as the president put it ‘crises’, their country is facing.

During his inauguration speech president Obama articulated the crises into the both domestic and international ones. The domestic ones are apparently concerned with the US financial crisis, economic recession, lose of jobs etc. The international ones, however, if not more challenging, are as equally important.

One of the renowned international challenges of president Obama and his neonate administration is dealing with Iran and its nuclear ambition. For the past 8 years, Iran has been one the major obstacles to the implementation of the United States’ foreign policies, particularly in the Middle East. It still is and it remains to be, unless the Obama's famous oratory comes handy at the negotiation table with his Iranian counterpart.

During the US election-campaign, president Obama has been talking about a change-over to meet the US’ political challenges in the world. He was talking about talks, dialogues, understandings and more respect towards his political rivals rather than being a tough guy and the world’s bully as his predecessor, George W Bush, used to act.

Those talks about his new ideas worked beautifully, he made the history, and the US people gave him an opportunity and a mandate to implement his ideas for a new United States.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip for a while now. After days of heavy bombardments, from air, sea and the artillery, its ground troop along with their tanks and armored vehicles has now moved into the territory.

This is madness. A madness which is laid right at the top of the both sides of the Israeli and the Palestinian political apparatuses. Israel and the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, Hamas, have had a truce in place for many months. The truce had expired just 6 days prior to this incomprehensible madness.

Apparently after expiring the truce, Hamas had started firing rockets over to Israeli towns. And in response, Israel has started the imprudent actions in Gaza. The dispropotionate response of Israel is dangerous. It has been tried before, it has not worked, and most likely it will not work this time around too. It only creates a furor of hatred and revenge. No-one will be benefited from the calamity in Gaza, and it has the potential to turn the entire region into a cauldron.

Furthermore, if we add the current situation in Gaza to the strategical importance of the Middle East to the broader world, then we have a serious problem on our hand. That is why the Security Council of the United Nation has immediately called for an emergency meeting to discuss the situation. However, the only irresponsible member, in this occasion of course, of the council with the veto power, the United States, was naive enough to ignore the gravity of the situation. But needless to say, it is the same administration which after 8 years in office has managed to get the United States into its current miserable international status.

One can only hope and should desperately search for more talented people in the new US administration, president-elect Obama certainly proved to be one. we need more.